As the framers were completing the first floor dining room walls, the next step was the ceiling beams. These beams are going to be exposed in the dining room. 

This will be re–used from the old carport, but they needed to be cleaned up first. We dragged my portable plainer from the trailer and set it up on the middle of the slabs. Each side needed about 1/8 inches taken off in 3 passes through. The framers started the work and I finished the planning with Bob the next day on Saturday.

Before the beams were installed, we thought that it would be a good idea to give them a coat or 2 of Polyurethane. It is easy when the beams are on horses and much more difficult after they are installed brushing them overhead from a ladder. We used a sprayer to apply the poly.

A had to be thinned a little for the spray gun we covered all beams with 2 coats by dark. The following day, Sunday, we gave them a light sanding.

The next question was that would be above the beams on top of the joist spaces? The bottom of the floor above would be ugly. Painting was not desirable because it would be extremely difficult and time consuming painting the 600 linear feet of edge up in the top of the joint space. Scott thought of tongue and grove planking, but the would take a while to install and then the underside would need to be finished. The best idea that I could come up with was to get some Birch veneer plywood, pickle it white, and lay it face down on top of the beams, under the floor plywood above. Bob and I pickled the birch one night during the week and I put a quick coat of poly on while I was waiting for the plumbing inspector to show up on Friday.